Remember What We Used To Be
by rxginamills
Summary: StoryBrooke hasn't been the same since a car accident that impacted the town's mayor, Regina Mills from remembering key points in her life. Emma and Henry put together videos to try and help her remember the memories she has lost, the family they have built, and the relationship they share.
1. Chapter 1

**I just decided to write this on here as a try for my first fan fiction! Feedback is highly appreciated and the length for future chapters will increase!**

 **Also, I do not own Once Upon A Time and these characters!**

Everything had seemed off.

Within the first step into Mary Margaret and David's loft Henry just knew. The teenager felt something within the air that was in-explainable. But, lately everything around the small town in Maine seemed gloomy and dull. Things just don't fit into place at all anymore.

Henry Mills being the son of both evil and good knew more than anyone that being positive is the only way through the darkest times of all. The new villains that seemed to appear left and right merely distractions for his two mothers. His distraction usually when getting home from school is the food, just for the split second he could just eat and forget, forget what happened that made this fairy tale town go dull. As the boy grabbed the usual grilled cheese sandwich Emma usually places for him everyday when he stops by Henry stops for a moment.

"When did it get like this?" He wonders. Ever since his two mothers teamed up and fought through every single battle thrown at them physically and within themselves Henry thought it would build the bond. The bond was built as a matter of fact it was more than just built, it grew from there, the two became friends and co parented, became a real family.

With the thoughts from the past haunting his clouded mind Henry heard loud noises from upstairs, in Emma's part of the loft. His mom never knew how to keep quiet anyways, maybe just cleaning up. She always fidgets and tries to fix things when they're perfectly fine. His grandma did tell him about the toaster before the curse was broken.

Mary Margaret told him that his mom always gets like this. Emma Swan still get's the urge to fix everything even when nothing can be fixed or when it simply doesn't need fixing. With his grandma's voice in mind Henry saw his mom rummaging through a black gym bag.

"Ma? What's going on?" Henry approached Emma looking at the things she has set up around the floor. Emma gasped startled by the sudden appearance of her son in the room.

"Henry? You're here? Shouldn't you be over at your moms house?" Emma turned to look at Henry for a bit but then went back to the black gym bag grabbing a video camera from it.

Henry looked around the room seeing how his mom put up pictures of him and their family which made him smile. Some of which were just candid pictures taken by David of the three doing everyday things.

"You know it's complicated to see her right away after school. Besides I thought you expected me? The grilled cheese?" He held up the sandwich. "Shouldn't you be at the house? You always are... What are you doing here?"

Emma fixated the camera on the tripod sitting down on the stool she set up in front of it. "I'm trying something different. Whale didn't turn me down on this one and besides maybe just maybe it'll help jog her memory. Remember the things we used to do you know kid? I don't want to go back to the house yet, she still calls me Ms. Swan. Your mother doesn't remember the good moments Henry. It hurts looking into her eyes and all the memories she has of the two of us is fighting that stupid monster by the town line when Cruella and Ursula came to town. She looks at me with the love/hate stare I had despised for the longest time. Maybe filming myself explaining the little things can help. Maybe she can remember what we were you know? _What the three of us were._ "

Henry looked into his mothers eyes and saw the pain he had seen everyday since that night. The night when everything went dull. The liveliness of Storybrooke vanished when the savior realized the love of her life lost recollection of who Emma was. He took one good look at his mom and knew deep within him that she has become desperate.

"What can I do to help?" Henry questioned setting his bag down.

Emma smiled at her son's strive to help his mother with this project. "Do you know how to work the camera and edit in things?"

"I did take tech class so it should be easy. Just tell me when to roll." Henry moved behind the camera and looked at his mother nod in his direction as he hit record.

" _Regina..._ "


	2. Chapter 2

**For the questions regarding what has went on for Emma to make these videos. Hopefully your answers will be fulfilled within this chapter and the next one! I appreciate the reviews and follows on this! Find me on twitter under MAJESTYMlLLS! (after the m those are actually three L's)**

" _Regina..._ "

Emma paused with the name of the mayor falling out of her lips. Henry saw the pain hidden underneath his mothers eyes. He knows just how much his mom wants for these videos to work it's been a tough ride for the whole town since that one night especially Emma Swan and himself.

"Mom are you ready to start again?" Henry looked up at Emma. The blonde was bowing her head with a picture on her lap. With a deep breath in she nodded as Henry continued rolling.

"Regina, as you watch this I'm almost hundred percent sure that you're wondering why Ms. Swan would be making you a video message. You may think I'm crazy. Don't stop this until you hear me out.

One night after we fought that stupid monster at the town line there was a car accident. You probably don't believe me but, here's the news paper."

Emma held up the paper as her son zoomed in on the headline. Henry had never seen it for himself personally. When they got released Emma grabbed almost every single one to keep hidden. As if that night never happened.

"Sidney gave me all the papers after I asked. I didn't want you to find them. Regina you're probably aiming to close the TV and I wouldn't blame you. I haven't even given an explanation all but a mere revelation that there was a car accident. In your mind you're probably thinking why I wasn't there to stop this or to help resolve this since I am the sheriff of this town that you run. There is a reason why I didn't stop it or wasn't there directly at the scene. There is a reason why you have no memory of this happening. There is a reason why the last memory you have of me is fighting that stupid monster at the town line. I don't want to overwhelm you with so much all at once with one video. I'll spare you the details of digging in deeper. Madame Mayor you were the one mainly impacted by the car crash that night it happened. Not because the car hit you but because you were the one driving. I wasn't there due to the fact that you were picking me up. Again sparing the tiny little details I hold precious in my mind. You lost this chunk of your memory Madame Mayor. You lost the memories of seeing Henry win an award or rather several for his outstanding writing pieces. Miss the lame jokes I used to tell you every morning we would wake up. Regina who you are at this moment isn't who you fully are. The woman you are today and everyday since that car accident is just a chunk of who you truly are. Frankly I miss who you are, I miss her so fucking much. Before you turn this off thinking of me like some crazy lunatic who made this all up, ask anyone. Anyone at all can tell you the night it happened, the night of November 23. They can tell you as much as they want but it's really up to you to believe them and put the pieces together because I'm getting so tired of watching you walk by me in the streets of this town with that scowl on your face. It hurts me to no longer hear your laugh the way I used to before that night. It pains me to even admit this to myself the fact that you have no idea that we are even engaged."

Emma pauses tears rolling down her face,slowly one by one but they are clearly there for her son to see. Henry hardly sees his mother being weak, according to his knowledge Emma doesn't like to show the weakness inside her body. Afraid that if cracking even a bit of weakness will make her break all together. Even more broken than the blonde is now, if that even is possible.

"Ma, we don't have to continue this. You can stop now and I'll edit it all out." Henry's voice cracked.

"This is the only way to even get her to listen. It's painful it is but that doesn't mean we can't try, We can always try and pay the price when we come to it." Emma sniffled wiping her face and breathing out heavily to continue her train of thought.

"It's still rolling." Henry nodded he knew he has no power to even try and control his mothers thoughts and actions. He can't do that when it concerns both of his moms.

"Just try to take this into consideration Regina please. Don't look at me as if you have a thought of me lying. Go and ask Gold he can even give you the answers you can look for. All I can say is that I miss my fiance and this is the first of the many tapes. I'm not going to give up until you try to think about this being a possibility."

Henry stopped recording putting the cap back over the camera lenses. He doesn't have magic or the superpower that Emma has in order to detect lies but Henry Mills is not stupid and can tell when his mother needs her space.

"I'll just edit this then. I'll come back for dinner?" He suggested grabbing the camera along with his bag.

"No don't just stay with your mom I'm sure she'd love the company. I have my own parents and baby Neal here. Your mom would be alone." Emma put back the picture frame that she held throughout the entire time they were filming.

"Is that the picture grandad took of you two when she proposed to you?" Henry looked at the picture closely.

"Still can't believe she did it before me. Well planned I might add." The tone Emma Swan had hidden in her voice made her sons mood drop lower and lower by every word spoken.

"Mom can still remember this right? You have hope, that's all that's needed."

"I think this situation just needs to get a step forward. As each day passes Henry we're losing her more and more. Regina Mills is becoming more lost and the more I see her she's acting like a stranger to me. This isn't who she is and you know that too."

Henry didn't reply but wrapped his arms over his tired mother. Storybrooke took a million steps back the night of November 23. Villains vanquished didn't matter when the town lost the color. Everything got drained when the sentence of _"Regina has lost memories from the past. Her long term memory seems to have been impacted by the accident."_ spilled out of 's mouth. Storybrooke needs more than just hope. This small town needs a miracle.


End file.
